Who We Are

Purpose, Mission & Values

PURPOSE

We exist to create a just, fair and compassionate America.

MISSION

We achieve our purpose by mobilizing the full array of Jewish resources – human, financial and moral – in partnership with other communities to create impact in our country. Our mission is to deeply engage Jews in sustained action that manifests our tradition of working to heal and repair the world, and to create a powerful, widely recognized Jewish voice championing equality and justice for disenfranchised residents of our nation.

WHY

We are committed to building the America our ancestors came here to find – working to perfect the promise of America as a true land of liberty and opportunity for all. We take pride in the American Jewish legacy of speaking out against injustice and inequality, and in the work we are doing to build a movement that proudly embraces this legacy.

We act out of love and respect for our fellow human beings, and believe that our Jewish values, traditions, texts, history, faith and culture can help light a path to solving America’s most pressing issues. We believe that the fates of all Americans are intertwined and that when the rights of some are trampled, the rights of all are compromised.

HOW WE BEND THE ARC TOWARD JUSTICE

Bend the Arc wishes to thank our partner, the National Domestic Workers Alliance along with Creative Counsel, for use of several photos in this video.

VALUES

The foundation of our purpose and vision are the values we will manifest through our work:

Community / Kehilah– We build relationships where people help each other because individuals have a profound responsibility for the wellbeing of the whole.

Inclusiveness / Klal Yisrael – We embrace and amplify the diverse voices of Jews, building communities unified by a commitment to a more just and equal society.

Humility / Anavah – We behave with integrity as a reliable partner, ally, colleague, and friend.

Innovation / Chidush – We create and employ strategies that make our work vibrant, relevant and accessible, and that resonate with people of all ages.

Hope / Tikvah – We act on the belief that progress is always possible and within our capacity to realize, and that people are inspired by hope, possibility, and joy.

Success / Hatzlacha– We focus on positive, achievable solutions to local and national problems.

Courage / Ometz – We consciously choose to take necessary risks in pursuit of our purpose and goals.

Local Action / Doikeit– We work to pursue a just and sustainable society in the here and now, on the ground in our cities and our nation, as a sacred, authentic, and urgent expression of Jewish tradition.

Dignity and Equality for All / B’Tzelem Elohim– We honor and protect the dignity and inherent right of all people to live in freedom and security, with access to opportunity, through our focus on actions that create lasting and systemic change.

Partnership / Yad Be-Yad – We build deep and authentic alliances with our nation’s diverse communities that serve as the backbone of our work and exemplify the richness of a pluralistic society.

Learning / K’Neged Kulam– We are informed and guided by deep engagement with Jewish tradition and history, the wisdom of powerful social movements, and the many intersections of these two.

Abundance / Shefa – We act as stewards of our resources because we are obligated by the knowledge that our prosperity is not created by our hands alone nor intended for our benefit alone.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."— Martin Luther King, Jr., inspired by Theodore Parker